Rolled sheet material dispenser



Nov; 6, 1962 F. A. STIRRUP ROLLED SHEET MATERIAL DiSPENSER Filed July 5. 1960 INVENTOR.

' FKHNK H 5T/RRl/P HTTOR/MEY Stats This invention deals with devices for dispensing any type and kind of sheet material packaged as a roll, wherein the device is so constructed as to expose at corner portions of the device side edges of a sheet for manual feed sufliciently to project beyond the device a free edge portion of the sheet suilicient for grasping in the hand to facilitate withdrawal of any desired length of the sheet material, preparatory for removal of said length by tearing the sheet over a tooth cutter disposed within the sheet discharge opening of the device.

More particularly, the invention deals with a device of the character described, employing on the inner surface of side walls thereof tensional means for support of the roll of sheet material frictionally within the casing of the device, the tensional support being sufiicient to prevent unravelling of the sheet material from the roll.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the casing of a device made according to my invention, with parts of the construction broken away and in section.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section partially on the line 22 of FIG. 1, illustrating the means for tensional support of the roll of sheet material in the casing of the device, part of the roll of sheet material being diagrammatically illustrated in section.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 1, showing one corner portion of the casing of the device and illustrating the position of the sheet material with respect to the tooth cutter for severing the extended or withdrawn portion of the sheet material; and

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating small portions of a side wall and front wall adjacent the corner opening of the device, in other words, as on the line 33 of FIG. 1, omitting all other showing of the casing, with the exception of the sheet material and diagrammatically illustrating in dot-dash lines part of the thumb and index finger of the left hand engaging the edge portion of the sheet material for the manual downward feed thereof.

Considering FIG. 1 of the drawing, represents the casing of the device defined by a bottom wall 11, two side walls, one only of which is indicated at 12, a back wall 13 and a short top wall 14. The back wall 13 is sectioned, in part, in FIG. 1 to show one of at least two openings 15 for hanging the casing of the device on a wall or other support. Extending upwardly from the forward edge of the bottom wall is a short front wall portion 16, the upper edge of which includes a rearwardly turned flange 17, note FIG. 3.

Mounted in the side walls 12 is a bolt or other pivot 18 engaging the side wall 19 of a pivoted cover 20. At this time, it is well to point out that each side of the casing 10, as well as the cover 20, is of the same construction, thus the showing of the one side is all that is deemed to be necessary. The side walls of the cover 20 are joined and spaced by a more or less rounded hood, defined by a front wall 21, a top wall 22 and angularly disposed walls 23, these walls all seating upon corresponding edges of the side walls 19. The walls 21, 22 and 23 include inwardly extended side flanges, generally identified by the reference character 24, which are welded Fatented Nov. 6, 1962 or otherwise secured to the walls 19, thus forming a unitary cover structure.

The lower corner portions of the front and side walls of the cover 20 are cutout to form finger openings 25, each generally of the contour as clearly noted in FIG. 1 of the drawing, in other words, including the inwardly olfset portions, as at 26, on the walls 19 and as at 26' on the wall 21. This offset is to provide free finger room for engagement of the fingers of the two hands with edge portions of the sheet material 27 employed, as later described.

The walls 19 and 21, adjacent the inner portion of the openings 25, have outwardly pressed reinforcing beads, as at 28, on the wall 19 and as at 29 on the wall 21 for strengthening these walls adjacent the finger opening 25.

Considering FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawing, it will appear that the front wall 21 is widely spaced with respect to the wall 16 to form a sheet material discharge opening 31 the opening being actually formed between the wall 16 and a downwardly and rearwardly inclined cutter blade 31, the lower edge of which has longitudinally spaced cutter teeth 32, note FIG. 3 of the drawing. The blade 31 is welded or otherwise secured to the inner surface of the wall 21 and extends longitudinally of said wall. The rearward inclination of the cutter 31 serves to guide the sheet material 27 into the opening 3t), as will clearly appear from a consideration of FIG. 1 of the drawing.

Fixed to the side walls 19 of the cover 20, above the opening 25, is a transverse guide rod 33, indicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 3 of the drawing, for proper positioning of the sheet material 27 for exposure at the finger openings 25.

Devices of the type and kind under consideration can be used for dispensing sheet material of any type or kind, where the sheet material is in the form of a roll 34, the core of which includes a mountin tube 35, shown partially in section in FIG. 2 of the drawing. With my construction, the sheet material 27 is preferably unperforated. Accordingly, it will be understood that any desired length of the sheet material can be withdrawn from the device and then severed along the cutter edge 32. When so severed, the remaining edge of the sheet material is disposed adjacent the cutter edge 32, as indicated in FIG. 1 of the drawing, so that, in withdrawing another short portion of the sheet, two fingers of each of the hands grip the side edges of the sheet 27 exposed in the finger openings 25 as, for example, the thumb 36 and index finger 37, as diagrammatically illustrated in dotdash lines in FIG. 4 of the drawing, the two fingers being that of the left hand engaging the left side portion of the sheet 27. The other side edge portion is engaged by the same fingers of the right hand. The sheet is then withdrawn from the tensionally supported roll of sheet material to extend the lower edge portion of the sheet material sufficiently beyond the bottom wall 12 to be grasped by a hand for further withdrawal to the length of sheet material desired. Considering FIG. 4 of the drawing, it will be apparent that the depth of the opening in the side walls is such as to allow free passage of the fingers into the casing to engage the rear surface of the sheet 27, as clearly indicated at 37 in said figure.

To maintain the roll of sheet material 34 against accidental unravelling and to otherwise provide efiicient operation of the device, I provide tension elements 38 on the inner surface of the side walls 12 of the casing 10. Here again, only one of the elements 38 is shown, as both elements will be of the same construction. The element 38 comprises a narrow, flat spring 39 of any suitable material, having curved ends 40, which bear upon the inner 3 surface of the wall 12. The end portions of the spring 39, adjacent the curved ends 40, have elongated apertures 41, in which bolts 42, mounted in the wall 12, operate. These elongated apertures provide free flexure of the spring 39 in attachment of the roll 34 with the elements 38.

Fixed to the center crosshead 43 of the spring is a dishlike bearing member 44, having a flared annular wall 45, terminating in an angular flange 46, the latter bearing against the end of the tube 35. It will, thus, be apparent that the tension element 38 will apply suflicient friction to the ends of the tube 35 to at all times support the roll 34 against unravelling or accidental displacement of the sheet 27 and, at the same time, facilitate the finger withdrawal of the sheet, as well as the hand withdrawal of the sheet, as previously mentioned, without danger of ruptturing the sheet material employed. In this connection, it will be understood that the tensional engagement will be varied with different types of sheet material and this variance can be controlled by loosening or tightening the bolts 42 to change the positioning of the member 44 with respect to ends of the tube 35.

At this time, it is also well to point out that the casing of the device can be made in various lengths, as well as heights and proportionate widths or depths to suit sheet material of any type or kind and, in some instances, what has been referred to as sheet material might rather be termed ribbons or hands. While devices of the type and kind under consideration can be used efficiently in dispensin of hand toweling for commercial or home uses, it can also be utilized for dispensing any other type and kind of material which can be severed by the use of cutters, such as the blade-like cutter 31 disclosed, regardless of the particular edge structure which is utilized on the blade cutter.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that a device of the type and kind under consideration can be very economically produced, from the standpoint that there are no complicated gearings or other devices controlling feed and/ or discharge of sheet material from the device and the only moving parts which can be regarded as such are the tension elements 38 which move simply to the extent of applying the desired frictional engagement with the roll of sheet material for the purposes hereinbefore mentioned. The provision of the finger openings, as at 25 at front corner portions of the device, supplement the usual many moving parts by employing the finger feed operation which can be quickly and easily accomplished. By virtue of the simplicity and economy in the construction of the device, in commercial uses, the dispensing device can actually be given away with a specified sale of the roll sheet material to be dispensed thereby; whereas, in domestic uses, the return of a label or coupon from a purchased package and a nominal sum would enable the consumer to acquire a very simple, practical, economical and highly efiicient dispenser for various types and kinds of sheet material used in the home.

It will appear that the forward edges of the side walls 12 are inclined, as seen at 12, and that correspondingly formed edges 19' of the side walls 19 overlie the edge portions 12', as will clearly appear from a consideration of FIG. 1 of the drawing. It will also be noted that the upper wall 22 of the cover rests upon the short top wall 14 of the casing 10. In assemblage of the roll of sheet material in the casin and in conjunction with the cover 20, the cover 20 is swung to the right on the pivots '18, the roll 34 is mounted in conjunction with the elements 38, the end of the sheet 27 is withdrawn from the roll and passed down around the guide and supporting pin or roll 33 when the cover 20 is in open position so that, when the cover is closed, the sheet 27 will assume the position, substantially as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing.

By reason of the edges 12, 19 on the walls 12 and 19, these walls may be said to be substantially triangular 4 in form with adjacent angular edge portions overlapped when the cover 20 is in closed position, as seen in FIG. 1.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A sheet material dispensing device comprising a casing and a hood-like cover, the casing being defined primarily by bottom, side and back walls, said side walls having inclined forward edges, the cover being defined by side walls and united top and front walls joining and spacing the side walls, the side walls of the cover having inclined edge portions overlying the inclined edges of the side walls of the casing, means pivoting the lower portion of said side walls of the cover with the forward portions of the side walls of the casing, spring actuated means on both side walls of the casing for tensionally supporting a roll of sheet material in the casing, the bottom wall of the casing having a discharge opening at the lower front portion of the device, the front lower corner portions of the front and side walls of the cover having finger openings, in which side edge portions of sheet material from said roll are exposed for free engagement by the fingers of the hand for downward manual feed of the sheet material for projection through the discharge opening of the device, the depth of the openings in the side walls being such as to allow the fingers of the hands to enter the casing and engage the rear surface of the sheet exposed in said openings, and a cutter blade mounted on and projecting from the inner surface of the front wall of the cover and exposed in said discharge opening for severing the sheet material withdrawn from the device.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the cover includes means for positioning the sheet material for proper exposure at the finger openings.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said tensional means comprises fiat spring elements supported on side walls of the casing, said elements including bearing members engaging ends of a roll of sheet material for frictional support of the roll in the casing.

4. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein said bearing members are in the form of flanged dish-like devices, the central portions of which are fixed to central portions of said sprin elements.

5. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein said spring elements are yieldably supported in connection with the walls of the casing.

6. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein adjustable means operatively engages the end portions of said spring elements in controlling positioning of the bearing members with respect to the roll of sheet material employed to control tensional engagement of the elements with said roll.

7. A dispensing device of the character described, comprising a casing part and a cover part pivoted to the casing part, the casing and cover forming an enclosure for reception of a roll of sheet material, both parts having substantially triangular side walls with overlapped edge portions, yieldable means on said side walls of the casing part for frictional support of a roll of sheet material in the casing, said cover including a front wall portion, the side and front wall portions of the cover at the front corners thereof being cutout to form finger openings spaced above the lower end of the front wall portion of the cover, means on the cover above said opening for positioning sheet material from said roll for exposure at said openings, for engagement by fingers of the hands for downward manual feed of the sheet material for discharge through a discharge opening at the front lower corner portion of the device, the depth of the openings in the side walls being such as to allow the fingers of the hands to enter the casing and engage the rear surface of the sheet exposed in said openings, a sheet material cutter strip exposed in said discharge opening for the full length of the opening for severance of sheet material withdrawn from the device, and

means on the front and side walls of the cover to reinforce the walls of the cover bordering the finger openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Daykin Dec. 24, 1940 Benson Oct. 23, 1934 Batlas Jan. 5, 1960 

